Make Your Own Jewelry Displays for Craft Shows

Make your craft show booth look fantastic!

Every craft fair booth needs attractive displays. They draw people in and make your products look their best. However they can be pricey and if you have to spend money on a show it's better to spend the money on a good canopy to keep you safe and dry. So here are 3 easy projects for making your own great looking displays for cheap along with a number of quick re-purposed displays.

Cork Display Board

An easy and attractive way to hang necklaces or packaged jewelry is with a display board. For this project you will need the following:

Materials

Cork bulletin board (I recommend one with a nice looking frame around it but I've included instructions for a board with no frame).

Fabric of your choice at least 1 inch wider and longer than your board. I used black flannel that matches my display trays, I would recommend a solid color or a print that isn't too busy or too brightly colored so it won't distract from your jewelry.

Optional Ribbon or fabric trim

Push pins. I used bright silver colored ones but you could use any color or pushpin hooks. All one color is probably best.

Display easel or other support

Tools

Hot glue gun and glue sticks.

Scissors.

Iron

Variation 1: Bulletin board with a wide frame.

Step 1: Measure the length and width of the cork area of your board inside the frame.

Step 2: Cut your fabric 1 inch longer and wider than the area to be covered.

Step 3: Fold the edges of your fabric over 1/2 inch (the wrong sides of the fabric should be touching inside the fold) and iron flat.

Step 4: Carefully hot glue the fabric along the inside of the frame. You may want to use pins to keep unglued areas in place.

Step 5: Optional Hot glue ribbon or other trim along the edge of the fabric or create a pattern/grid on the board with it.

Step 6: Add your pushpins.

Step 7: Display on an easel or other support at your next craft show

Variation 2: Bulletin board with no frame

This is also good for boards with narrow metal frames.

Step 1: Measure the total length and width of the board.

Step 2: Cut your fabric 3 inches longer and wider than the frame to give you plenty of overlap.

Step 3: Fold the edges of your fabric evenly over the edge of the board and pin in place.

Step 4: Carefully hot glue the edges of the fabric along the back of the frame.

Step 5: Optional Hot glue ribbon or other trim along the edge of the board to create a frame or create a pattern/grid on the board with it.

Step 6: Add your pushpins.

Step 7: Display on an easel or other support at your next craft show

Display board in use.

Display board in use.

Simple Frame Tray

Materials:

Cheap yardsale picture frames

Spray paint

Cardboard (use the backing for the frame if it still has it)

Flannel or other thick fabric

Tools:

Scissors

Newspaper, drop cloth, etc.

White glue

Hot glue gun

Instructions:

Step 1: Remove glass and cardboard backing from the frames.

Step 2: Taking the frames and your newspaper or drop cloth outside, spray paint them the color of your choice. This may take 2-3 coats of paint. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Step 3: Cut the fabric to fit the frame backing. Run white glue along the edges of the backing and glue to the back side of the fabric. Allow to dry.

Step 4: Apply hot glue around the inside edge of the back of the frame and insert the fabric covered backing. Once cool you have an attractive display try for your jewelry.

Tip: Use a small block of wood under the top of the frame to tilt it rather than laying flat. If you have several frames you can do display them at different tilt angles.

Frame Trays in Use

Jewelry Displays from Amazon

Diftwood Display - Example of a found object that can used as a display.

Diftwood Display - Example of a found object that can used as a display.

Fishbowl Displays

I made this display for my hair sticks but it could be adapted to display other items.

Materials:

Small glass fishbowls or votive bowls

Floral styrofoam (the dense kind you used in gradeschool not the soft kind that absorbs water)

Pebbles

Seashells

Tools:

Hot glue gun

Pencil

Step 1: Give the bowls a good wash, even brand new ones probably sat on a store shelf for a while gathering dust.

Step 2: Hot glue the piece of styrofoam into the bottom of the bowl. Allow the glue time to cool.

Step 3: Carefully fill around the foam with pebbles. I used some lovely moss green ones I found in the floral department. If you are collecting pebbles yourself try around a stream or river to get nice smooth ones and give them a good wash before using them.

Step 4: Decorate around the top with sea shells.

Step 5: Using the item you're displaying or a sharp pencil poke evenly spaced holes in the foam. I put some on the outside edge of the foam at an angle for more visual interest.

Variations:

Get some of those plastic card holders for flower arrangements and stick those in the foam to display small prints or cards

For a garden/woodland theme use pebbles and top with moss instead of shells

Use glass marbles in colors that compliment for work for a more sparkley fanciful look

Displays from Found Objects

Some of the best displays are made from found objects or stuff you can find at a local thrift store or yard sale. Here are a few Ideas.

Sea Shells Displaying Bracelets

Click thumbnail to view full-size

Sea Shells Displaying Bracelets

Large scallop shell holding charms.

More Great Jewelry Display Projects

Here are links to projects I've found searching for new ideas for my jewelry displays.

Fancy Necklace DisplayLearn how to make a fancy necklace display for showcasing your jewelry creations at craft fairs, vendor fairs, or at home.

Canopies

If you're participating in an outdoor festival you absolutely must have shelter of some kind. The weather is rarely reliable and you do not want to be scrambling to cover your stuff if it rains. Even if it doesn't rain you'll appreciate the shade on a hot day.

Canopies range in price from cheap $50 models up to $200-300. If you are only planning to do 2-3 outdoor shows in a summer then an inexpensive one is perfectly fine but if you're planning to do a show nearly every weekend you should really invest in a good quality canopy that is more reliable and can be taken down and put up quickly.

Reader Feedback

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independentminded 11 months ago

If one produces things out of precious metals such as silver and gold, however, it's best to keep such products under lock and key, in an attractive glass cabinet.

Fiona 2 years agofrom South Africa

Great lot of ideas thanks

Winda 2 years ago

wow i thought it was candy or chotclaoe, but no, what an amazing idea to display your jewelry!! the colors look phenomenal and i love the vintage touch. i am in love with all the pink/purple/lila ones! oh no i am in love with all of them. fabulous idea, and i think i am going to use your idea to display my jewelry.

Teri Hansen 3 years ago

love these ideas, will need to share these with my friends.

Margaret Schindel 3 years agofrom Massachusetts

Fabulous ideas and great tutorial, Sheryl! Thank you for sharing! :)

karen-thompson-37853 4 years ago

Positively brilliant! I am a regular seller at a local auction house and the cork board display would be great there. By the way, your jewelry is just as cute as can be! Love it!

suzyjahi 4 years ago

AWESOME!!

CrazyHomemaker 4 years ago

Thanks for the ideas! I really like the corkboard display.

anonymous 4 years ago

Great ideas for jewelry displays,

Judith Nazarewicz 5 years agofrom Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Thanks for the great ideas! I have to try some of these for this summer. :-)

TriviaChamp 5 years ago

There are so many possibilities for the fish bowl. Thanks for the ideas!

patternedapp 5 years ago

This is awesome! I really love the fishbowl. It's also useful for jewelry organization at home.

KittySmith 5 years ago

Nice lens! I have made some of my own jewelry displays and I like looking at other ideas.

Author

Sheryl Westleigh 5 years agofrom Maine

@anonymous: No I don't, I only made enough displays for my own use and have too much on my plate to make more to sell.

anonymous 5 years ago

@AcornOakForest: Do you still have any of those displays you would like to sell?

Pam Irie 5 years agofrom Land of Aloha

A nice display truly does make fine pieces look even better.

Monica Lobenstein 5 years agofrom Western Wisconsin

My husband and I made all my displays when I got started selling jewelry at craft shows. I'm out of the business now but still like to think about these things. I especially like the picture frame display you described at the beginning. Very nice lens!

MissMalaprop 5 years ago

While I use some store-bought jewelry displays, like the stackable trays, I've made some of my own too. A friend inspired me to find an old window shutter at a salvage store, which I use to hang earrings off of. I also utilize an old suitcase in my display - usually it displays greeting cards, but I have some jewelry artist friends who use old suitcases as well. They double as an easy way to haul stuff to your event!